2011 Patriots Mock Draft 8.0

Cue the bashing.

The Patriots have done nothing but surprise fans and media alike for the last decade. Why would this year be any different?

Round 1 (OAK – Richard Seymour)
We’d love to project a trade up here, but the Patriots are in a great position to let this draft come to them, at least at the 17th pick. With at least two, and as many as five, quarterbacks projected to be picked in the first half of opening round, there were certainly be some top prospects lasting longer than they should.

One of those prospects could be the next in the long string of surprising 1st round selections under Bill Belichick. Prince Amukamara (CB, Nebraska) would bring a third starting caliber corner to the Patriots defense, providing some solid depth in nickel/dime situations and in case of injury. Many teams in the top 10 covet the former Cornhusker, but each of them (San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Detroit) have other needs that could be addressed.

Amukamara’s physicality, nose for the ball, and ability to play both man and zone coverage will remind many a Patriot fan of one Ty Law. If he could provide the same impact as Law, this Prince could become the only King welcome in New England.

Round 1
This is where we ultimately expect there to be some movement in the 1st Round – Pick 28. We see the Patriots packaging the 28th pick, along with the 74th pick to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return, the Patriots would receive the 21st pick, as well as a swap of 5th round picks.

In moving up to pick 21, the Patriots have leapfrogged multiple teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, that are looking for offensive line help.

Anthony Castonzo (OL, Boston College) is a lineman that can help out at multiple positions, including left/right tackle and guard. That sort of versatility, along with the interest of the Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, makes Castonzo a likely possibility for New England.

Round 2 (CAR – 2010 Draft Day Trade)

In order to let their improving defensive backfield excel, the Patriots need to create some more pressure on the opposing quarterback. Even though we haven’t been extremely high on him, Brooks Reed (DE/OLB, Arizona) is a guy who can do just that.

While Reed may have some issues in setting the edge in Belichick’s 3-4 scheme, getting a guy in the second round who can provide some sacks in sub-package situations (nearly 50% of the Patriots’ plays in 2010) may be hard to pass up.

Under Belichick’s tutelage, Reed can grow into a three-down player, while providing an instant impact as a rookie.

Round 2
After about the first fifty picks, the talent really levels off at most positions. If none of their players have fallen to the 60th pick, we see the Patriots moving down – in this case for a 2012 3rd Round pick and the 77th pick from the Titans.

Round 3 (MIN – Randy Moss)
This pick was earlier sent to the Kansas City Chiefs to move up from the 28th pick to the 21st.

Round 3 (TEN – 2011 Draft Day Trade)
With the Patriots unable to select J.J. Watt or Muhammad Wilkerson on the first day of the 2011 NFL Draft, they had to set their sights on some other 3-4 defensive ends. Kenrick Ellis (DL, Hampton) is a huge guy that would be a top 50 pick without any character issues.

With his gargantuan build, Ellis should be able to play both end positions, while also being able to fill in at nose tackle or defensive tackle when the situation arises.

Round 3

With the rise of some small-school offensive linemen like Will Rackley and Ben Ijalana, some of the bigger names might fall down some draft boards. If Clint Boling (OG, Georgia) is still there at the 92nd pick, we’d expect the Patriots to hand in the index card with the former Bulldog’s name on it pretty quickly.

Boling, like Castonzo picked earlier, played left tackle in college but can play multiple positions at the NFL level. He would probably be best suited at the right guard position left up for grabs by Stephen Neal retirement.

Round 4

While we’re on record stating that the value just isn’t there selecting a running back in the 1st round, we do expect the Patriots to add another horse to their stable of running backs. Delone Carter (RB, Syracuse) is a 3-down option that has skills in the passing game as well as the great vision to read his blocks.

Carter would be a nice addition to the young core of Danny Woodhead and Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis.

Round 5

Ever since the Randy Moss trade, the Patriots have been clamoring for a legitimate vertical threat. Brandon Tate and Taylor Price still have time to develop, but a tall receiver prospect like Chris Matthews (WR, Kentucky) would give Tom Brady another option down the field.

Round 6

Willie Smith (OL, East Carolina) would provide the Patriots with a developmental guard prospect at a time in the draft where the Patriots love drafting offensive linemen. With a potentially larger roster a part of the yet-to-be-negotiated CBA, the Patriots wouldn’t have to part ways with guys like Ted Larsen and potentially Smith.

139 Responses to “2011 Patriots Mock Draft 8.0”

The Patriots have done EXTENSIVE and EXHAUSTIVE research on players, the top dozen players projected to go in this draft they aren’t even thinking about unless there is a good chance they fall out of the top 15…

BB has already said, his focus is to trade down/out with his picks, and if he can’t get a trade offer he likes, then pull the trigger on a player they like for that pick.

They need two pass rushers and two OFF lineman………………All other positions are irrelivant if they don’t fill these positions…… If you don’t have a pass rush I don’t care who your def backs are they will be beaten……………..If you can’t protect Brady it’s over……

I am a big fan of a first round with Castonzo. Castonzo provides an NFL ready tackle right at the start. The amount of 2nd and 3rd round talent at the OG position is immense. Boling, Moffitt, Wisniewski are 3 names to consider when it comes to OG play. However, i’m still convinced that the DE is a position that needs to be addressed in the first round. We need to win the battle in the trenches first and this draft is crazy deep with first round class D linemen. I like the idea of Cameron Jordan, Watt or Wilkerson. Whichever one is best suited to pass-rush AND can handle playin the 2 gap. As for OLB we have to take a risk with one of these converts in the 2nd round. But in all honesty I think we may be looking at another year where this is a weak spot….

they have to get someone at OLB, there is so many of them, and i suspect the Pats will have plenty if picks, they have to find a couple they like out of the crowd, and take one. Id predict them taking one late in the 2nd round again like Cunningham last year.

It looks to me like more fans are warming up to the strategy that BB uses come draft time.

1 Assign draft grades to players by round, talent, desire, brains.
2 Don’t over reach for players,
3 If a group of available players are close to the same grade, trade down or out and get one of them later,
4 If there is no one available at their pick whose grade does not equate to that pick, trade down or out.
5 Keep Bob Kraft out of the selection process.

How can you not Bills strategy?? He may not be the best talent-evaluator, especially with offensive-skilled players other than QB. But as far as moving up and down the board….no-one manipulates the draft like Bill Belichick.

33. now at 33, Minnesota and/or a couple other teams will be dying to get in the yop 5 of that 2nd round to grab a QB. This is the Pats best chance to snag a first rounder for next season. Say its minnesota…
Trade pick 33, pick 60, and pick 74 this season, for the Vikings’ pick at 44 this season, and a first rounder next season.

After these deals the Pats end up with something like this…

17.Watt, Jordan, Wilkerson

40.M.Wilson,B.Reed,J.Houston

44. and offensive lineman, or a RB like Ryan Williams

71. Marcus Gilchrist-S/CB

Pats would still have picks 110 or 143, pick 125, 159, and 193 to play with.
They would end up with between 3 and 5 impact rookies, and an all-important chance had a top 10 pick next season with the Vikings trade.

the more i read up on the RB’s in this class…the more i feel they will wait for free-agency to address there need at running back. I would rather see them spend 2nd-3rd-4th-5th round picks on lineman, where the Patriots do there best work in he draft.

If the pats are picking in the 2nd round are Brooks Reed, Martez Wilson, and Justin Houston is available, who do you take? This is a very hard decision to make because they help your football team in different ways.
Justin Houston seems to be the safest pick of the three. He’s a pure outside linebacker and is very good at it. He’ll be a solid player but can he reach the all pro level?
Brooks Reed is more of a DE/OLB type player that will be used in multiple schemes for the pats. Some experts are comparing him to Clay Mathews while others say that he is very overrated. Who do you believe? The pats gave him a private workout so they should know who they’re getting if they take him.
Martez Wilson is the most confusing of the three. I know that he has the speed to make plays that most linebacker can’t. I know that he has the speed to cover receivers but what about the bigger NFL running backs? I guess I’m worried about that the most.
Could I please get some expert opinions on my question. Give the positives and negatives on all three players.

All 3 of these prospects have as many questions as answers. A player who missed last season-Jabaal Sheard from PITT, could be a better pick. Sheard has some baggage,therefore hes fallen a little bit. But afetr reading up more on all 4 of these guys, Sheard has the tools to set the edge as an NFL 3-4 OLB. Hes about a half in inch shorter-and 3 pound lighter than Cunningham coming out last season. But Sheard is much more of a proven player coming out, his strengths are his in fact strength setting the edge on the run, and his strong pass-rushing capabilities. Sheard played little 3-4 olb but did it with success. I really like him with a pick in the 40’s somewhere.

I really like what i saw from Martez Wilson playing at Illinois, but I agree with you as him, and i would say Brooks Reed are both risky picks. Fact is, time has proven that all of these DE/OLB projects coming out are maybe the riskiest players to invest in on draft day. But the Patriots HAVE to take a chance on at least one of these guys somewhere in the first 60 picks. Its also clear to see that there is more good NFL prospects at this position than any other this year, maybe a reason to take a flier on 2 LB’s. Martez Wilson can play both inside and outside, which im not convinced is even a good thing, we have a guy that posseses those skills already, Gary Guyton. The negatives with Guyton, are the question marks on Wilson-(strength at the edge, football instincts). Bottom line, I think Wilson will be taken too high for the Patriots to take such a similar player.

I like Justin Houston more than Brooks Reed, Houston faced better competition in the SEC than Reed in the Pac 10. Houston played more as an OLB than Reed, and has more pass-rush moves. I like everything more about Houston really, recruited by the best schools in the country coming out of H.S. Hes a junior while Reed has had all 4 seasons at Arizona to develop. Scouts have more negative things to sat about Reed, but all start with the same line in their evaluation…”lacks the quickness in the hips to cover in space”. Houston, the one negative that always comes up is that he disappears in games a lot, which is somewhat of a red-flag.

I seen every one of these guys play, but not enough. Im no expert at all, but thats the best i can do.

I think Houston will go first anywhere from picks 28-somewhere in the 40’s. Most of the teams picking in the 30’s aren’t looking for LB’s.
I think B.Reed will go in the 40’s somewhere.
Martez Wilson and Jabaal Sheard goin between picks 45-65

No way the Pats stay put, maybe at 17, but 28 and 33 are most definitaly trade-bait, id say about half the league will be calling Bill about those picks, especially 33.
Patriots dont pick between pick 34 and pick 59, and i feel that this is where the best value is in this draft for the Pats positions of need, and we know our boy Bill loves “value”.

It’s hard to say what #33 is going to get as far as interest. Last year supposedly, the Rams did not get that much interest, but after Bradford was taken #1, the QB class was almost nothing. This year after Gabbert, Newton and possibly Locker, most of the value will be in the second round.

#33 could gather a lot of interest, but definitely #28, since it sounds like BB has put it out there it’s available.

this draft class seems pretty weak to me. I think we should trade 28 to a bad team for a top ten pick next year. Also, we should trade 33 for a first round pick next year. This will give three first rounders next year and also leave alot of room to land a top notch proven nfl free agent. we will still have one first, one second and two thirds in the top rounds.

The more I look at it I think they stay put…maybe move up a few spots to get Watt or Kerrigan…then trade out of 28 and 33…this draft is really starting to look weak to me…get several 2nd rounders like last year and pick up another 1 for next year.

I would be utterly shocked an dismayed if this was the way the draft shook out.
I think there’s about a 0.00001% chance that any of these picks are right for the Pats or for any other team.
I personally don’t want to be using another second round pick on a DE “project” guy like Ellis. The guy is just a blob and I’ve seen nothing at all that makes me believe the Pats would entertain drafting him.
Why? Because they had a workout with him?
Didn’t the Pats not even have Seymour in for a private workout before drafting him?
Wasn’t it the same with Mankins?
I highly doubt Ellis, or Amukumara are even under serious consideration.

i think they could from A team….but it would have to be a good team that 1….has a pretty low 2nd round pick…and 2…plans on having a good record last year. Chances are a team that fits that,(SD has pick 50, PHI & NO @ 55 and pick 56. You can make a trade with those teams, if theyre looking. I would think about San Diegos 18th pick of the 2nd round and a first next season. At worst your going to get pick 50 for free, but you do put off using a first rounder until next year.
But no team in the top 15 or so in the 2nd round would do that deal.
The Pats are going to move one of those first 3 picks, maybe all 3, nothing would surprise me. And i feel like you can bank on them coming away with at least a 1st or a 2nd for next season, at least, i would predict they come away with a 2nd and a 3rd for next year.

If there are 3 QB’s picked in the first round. When the pats pick at 28 there should be at least 3 looking to get back in to get thier QB. That should net them a high second this year and a First next year. They will get the same type of player at 28 that they will at 35-40.

Same deal at 33, idiots will overpay to get the top pick of the second round.
BB’s M.O.

I’m not sure we are going to see QB needy teams looking to give up a 2012 first rounder for #33, most of them pick right after us. I would think #28 would get a 2012 first rounder, but if the QB class is as bad as “experts” say it is, our picks may be looked at by teams needing RB, 4-3 DE, OLB.

If the Pats came out of the draft with these listed players, I for sure won’t be watching them next year because we’ll be going absolutely nowhere.

To win the Superbowl we need:
Stud DE – 17th pick is a perfect spot to get one.
OLB – 33 is the perfect spot
RT – 60th pick is perfect to get that
RB – 74 is a perfect spot for that
OG/OC – 92 a perfect spot for that or even later with guys like Zach Hurd, Andrew Jackson, Stefan Wisniewski and with Clint Boling having Testicular Cancer, he’ll for sure be available in the LATE rounds…and he will be a stud once he recovers, at either RT or OG. All the best to him.
And a whole bunch of other picks to work with for lower round CB’s OLB’s and safties and a backup QB.

But even with the 33 pick, I think we could trade that down and still get a stud OLB. If Arizona decides not to pick a QB in the first round, then they might be a potential trade at 38 to leapfrog Cincy. We could probably get their third and still get a great LB like Martez Wilson.

I agree on trading down to get an OLB from 33, but that pick is the one that will be perfect for it. Top of the second round allows us to control the OLB corps in the second round, however we want to get our man, that’s the pick for it.
Lower risk than a 1st rounder, and the talent is right there.

Sorry, just realized I listed Clint Boling as having Testicular Cancer but I meant we could get Clint Boling. Marcus Cannon has Testicular Cancer and we could get him late round because of that. He can play RT and OG as can Boling.
We could get both if need be.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the Pats will draft exactly ZERO of these guys except possibly Boling or Carter.
Amukumara won’t make it down that far, and even if he did, that just means some of the better DE’s got pushed down too.
BB’s top 20 picks since 2000: 3 (DE, DE, and most recently MLB)
Guess what?! He needs another DE again!!! So let’s all take a real educated guess as to who he’ll take?
………………………..
Hmmm…I’m guessing it’s a DE.
He’ll either take Watt, or Jordan at 17 or trade back if they’re gone and take Heyward or Wilkerson.

Suprised that a supposed Pats webpage would throw out a Todd McShay level mock draft.

if only it were that easy man…Pats needed an OLB and a DE LAST year in the first round….cornerback-McCourty
they needed an OLB 2 years ago in the first…(passed on Clay Mathews)…trade down for a Safety…Pat Chung

With 6 of first 92 picks, you can’t really have a bad draft, unless you keep trading back and stockpiling for next year. Well, this is last years’s next year so lets take some players. We need OL, OLB, and a tough DE. Tough guys for the trenches.
If Watt and Jordan are gone, why not look at Luiget. He’s highly rated, quick, hard working and 300#. Just because he’s an inch or 2 short, doesn’t mean her can’t control the LOS. The 2 Illini guys, Luiget and Martez Wilson would be a couple of pretty goood additions to Pats defense.
The second round will give you 2 really good OT/OG combo guys like Watkins, Ijalana, Franklin. A third round RB like Hunter, Carter, or Jaime Harper would give us then power to control the game and dominate the red zone. Brady would love that kind of versatility.

I wouldn’t do it unless OAK gave up their 1st next year and swapped their second with our’s because they won’t be as bad next year as they were even this year, and that means we’d likely pick lower than #17.

We need to trade that pick to a bottom dwellar team so we can stick them with a low 1st in exchange for a top 10 pick.

If you had a choice between JJ Watt, Cameron Jordan, and Prince who would you choose? I think at least 1 of these players will be available at pick #17. You can’t go wrong with any of these players. I’m leaning towards JJ Watt.

Thats a tough one…i would there is about an 80% chance at least one of them is gone by pick 17. But hypothetically I would say the best player of the 3 will be Amukamara, so I would lean towards him. If you draft for need in the first round its dangerous, that to me is what the Pats would do if they took Watt or Jordan of Prince. But if they did…I would take Jordan, seems like more of a cant miss player-which is the most important thing in round 1.

As a native Nebraskan, let me tell you that Prince is FOR REAL. I get that people get fixated on what is essentially the “home run” for a football defense – sacks, but if we could get Prince (who, if available at that pick, would be the best athlete on the board) we would have probably the best secondary in the game. This would help our defensive front out, as it gives them extra time to get to the QB and makes pass-happy offenses think about running the ball more, something our front has been developed to stop with Cunningham, Mayo, etc. Trust me when I say that Pats fans would have to eat their words once again, just like last year when McCourty was selected! 🙂 This year, just like every other year, there are lots of options at OLB/DE pass rushers that could be decent enough (whether or not they will dominate or not remains to be seen of course). However, incredible cornerbacks like Prince do not come around as often…

Yeah but if Prince was selected last year, where would it have been? Probably slightly higher than McCourty. Maybe #25 or so…that means you’d be overdrafting Prince by roughly 8 spots…why? Because the talent is better at DE, so we should draft the better CB early and get more talent down the bottom of the DE’s???
Wrong! The DE’s are where the talent is this year, so you have a better chance of getting top DE talent further down the board to where we’re at.
That means a guy who WOULD get drafted any other year in the top 10 like Watt or Jordan, and now they’re in the teens.
So you’re not overdrafting the guy, you’re getting the better end, whereas drafting Prince earlier means you’re reaching because of the diluted talent at his position in the draft.

If the Pats didn’t take Prince at 17, the next team that needs a CB is TB. So they take him at 20.Who would they have taken? Probably Kerrigan, so now Kerrigan drops and the Pats have a chance at him…

The cycle will move players down at the positions we NEED, and the talent is higher. NO CB IN THE FIRST! We already have 2 very good-pro bowl level starters, and a 3rd CB that started 14 games there last year. We’re not wasting the 17th on another CB who’ll hardly hit the field.

Also-Jacksonville is looking for a DE(it’s their biggest need) & they sit at the 16th overall VS our 17th!
Reason enough for me 2 want & jump ahead of Jacksonville and grab a guy like Ryan Kerrigan before he may be gone.

The problem is that now there are a lot more teams running a 3-4 defense and a few of them that are below us are notorious for trading up (SD, Jets) so there will be a lot of demand for the type of DE’s that we used to be able to get without worrying about other teams taking them.

TD I 100% agree. People complain that BB doesnt find great talent in the draft and free agency for his defense anymore but they dont realize that 9 and 10 years ago only about 3 teams ran a 3-4, now half the league is so teams are looking for the same guys!

No way theyre going to pick a corner in the first round. The way I see it.. this years draft and and spot where we are selecting was chosen by fate so that the Patriots would pick up Ryan Kerrigan. I’ve seen some tape and he looks like he can really thrive at OLB for the Pats especially on third down where they have to count on someone to get to the QB and Kerrigan can be that guy.

I like Kerrigan because he’s got that explosive first step but can he cover TE’s, especially since most of them are running sub 4.7? He doesn’t look smooth either. I actually like Reed more than Kerrigan after watching more tape on them…only problem is that most of Reed’s sacks came unblocked or against RB. Still both guys have active hands and good motors…but Reed looks quicker. Don’t forget about Martez Wilson…rangy guy that reminds me of Rosie…not too mention versatile (can play inside or outside and good against the pass and run) and the fastest 40 among linebackers. i see a lot of potential from this LB crop though.

we don’t need 2 guards…if logan gets his act together, we don’t need any. Connolly will do fine in Neal’s spot and we will bring in a couple of mid round guys to compete for the backup spots/voids if we trade mankins. I do agree that we need to draft Matt Lights replacement though. he is old and slow, and especially without Mankins who seriously protected him when DE’s went inside on him.

I find it amazing that some think this 14-2 team is so bad we need to replace almost the entire DLine, OLine, replace all our OLB’s, a top RB and a WR to “take the top off defenses” whatever the hell that really means.

We could not fill all our weaknesses if we had the first 10 picks in this draft. Failure rate would be 30-50% and skill guys would take 1-2 years to develop.

We have a LOT OF YOUTH at the positions that fans want drafted for. Toss those young players out the window and draft new guys and we could be having this discussion again next draft.

This team went 14-2 because of Brady. We really can only count on Vollmer on the Oline right now. Light is a FA, Mankins contract, Koppen is old, and RG is vaccant. And the Dline, besides Wilfork, is filled with a bunch of role players. Im very big on having depth, thats what seperates teams like the Pats from the Texans, but Its time to get some play makers on the Dline and front 7. I know we get warren back but hes coming off a serious injury. I compare guys like Guyton, Pryor, Wright, and Brace to players in the past like Matt Chatham, Bobby Hamilton, Jarvis Green.. They were all smart and decent players, some were great at special teams, great for a play here and there But you wouldnt want those guys as your every down players. Those guys were good because we could sub them in where they could peform and not ask them to do to much. What im trying to say is that we have a bunch of good complement and role players, now its time to get the play makers…

And when all these impact guys BB could move up for are sitting learning and playing on sub groupings, then what next year? Looking at the past drafts since 1993, the most impact players any team drafted was 2 or 3 and most of them took 2-3 years to play at a high level.

Im not saying BB has to get 5 or 6 impact players, thats almost impossible. But with the amount of picks we have and how high up they are we could easily get 2 or 3 maybe 4. If we stay put we should get 2 with the first 1st rd picks. I would say last year that Mccourty and Gronk were impact players from the get go, Hernandez was good and Spikes was coming on real strong before his suspension. And I know they still take time to develop and not everyone pans outs, but we have a good shot.

Could not agree more! 2 ways to generate pressure…but only one to make sure you don’t get burned deep in the process. i am all for drafting a corner to let us blitz more. that being said we still have to replace TBC…he is incapable of playing 3 downs with any consistency. but as you said we can find that guy in the 3rd or 4th round. I believe this draft will be much deeper than people think…a lot of potential NFL stalwarts in this crop. 2 wks…tick tick tick tick tick tick…

It seems clear now that the only reason BB is keeping TBC around now is because of the uncertainty of the other OLB’s we have and may draft. He clearly is not that good and when we had Vrabel and Colvin, it was a no brainer letting him go to 49ers.

This isn’t a deep CB draft. I don’t think Amukamura goes past Houston at 11. There could be a run of CBs after that with Smith and Harris possibly going in the top 20. Which would be great for the Pats as that would mean DL and OL players will fall.

If Pats can’t get decent CB, the #17 pick gets more difficult in terms of value. Outside of the top 5 picks, this draft is very weak. As I said before, the DL/DE crop is weak for 3-4 teams.

Given the thin pickings and given that they prefer not to pay a guy to sit on bench too long, they may actually get Lights future replacement or even take volmers place at RT in future e,g, Castonzo but also fill in for Neal given the lack of value in other picks. It would help with transition. They may prefer to trade it away if they are forced to pick OL.

Having closely followed every BB draft, I’m at the point now where, before each draft, I try to mentally prepare myself for complete outside-the-box surprises, since almost every year the Patriots manage to perplex me on draft day. So I’ve been thinking about who at 17 would be a true surprise, and Amukumara keeps coming to mind. It really makes absolutely no sense upon first impression — we seem to have a lot of needs, and CB does not appear to be one of them.

But maybe it actually does make sense. NFL teams now need at least 3, maybe 4, good to very good cornerbacks. McCourty is obviously one. Bodden may be two– but who knows how he returns from injury? Maybe — maybe — Arrington is a third. But then who after that? Butler? Wilhite? So, in sum, we have McCourty and then a bunch of question marks.

So, if Prince is there, and the Patriots have him as the highest rated player on their board, then it may make sense to take him. Then, who knows, maybe one of the DEs slips a bit, and we trade up from 28 and end up with Prince and Heyward.

Either way I’m viscerally against taking an OT in the first round. We already have a LT in Vollmer, so we basically need a RT and an interior guy, both of which can be had in rounds 2 or 3. I’ll take James Carpenter in Round 2 over Castonzo in Round 1. Or give me Hudson in Round 2, who can play OG or C.

Who know’s STILL what’s up with the Logan Mankin’s Soap Opera?
Can’t say anything except for A/. He’s either walking out free…………
OR B/. He’ll be traded shortly after the season is under way(and we’ll receive WHAT? for him”, who know’s what for him? Be it a player and a next year pick? two player’s? Two next year pick’s?).
Bottom line is this……Two Guard’s and a Tackle down from the get-go;
( that’s 3 O-line men down fron the start no matter what opinion and/or fact is relivent regarding defence by anyone including me, you, BB, Dante or the mirror mirror on the wall…….), which mean’s that “securing a top notch well sought after franchise type tackle in the first is certainley not out of the question”!!!! In fact, it’s very, very SMART.

+ Look who else is looking for O-line help, would you rather continue settling for multiple medeocre player’s……..AGAIN and let him land on the line of a team like the Colt’s, or the Giant’s to protect a Payton Manning or his little sister Eli????……or catch a big fish that you are lacking yourself so Tom Brady doesn’t get squashed again anbd rendered usless for what little time he’s got left here?

If the Pat’s don’t make “2” real big/good moves in the first, they’re selling themselves out……… again.
Castonzo in the first is a no-brainer, ( especially with light older and on the decline as well), and you move UP if need to make sure you get him!!
If Pouncey seem’s to expensive for the first Round even though he can play center as well….fine, but that just mean’s you use the later pick’s with the middle style ones and make sure you move up after the 1st round is done and basically “SWEEP complete the 2nd round up”.

I’m actually more convinced to draft O-Line with the two picks. However, as much as I would like Pouncey and to have Mankins resigned, I would love to have Carimi manning the right and have Vollmer on the left. Vollmer will be going on the left side in his third year, with some experience on that side from his rookie days (did exceptional). I want Carimi because he is made for the right side, and that is perfect considering what we got with Vollmer. That would be nice if we could also land up with either Bolling or Wisniewski at 60. Still, I want to find a way to get Wilkerson for the front 7. You can’t get them all.

Jeff, I’m with you man. At 17 take the best player. These tackles are good not great. They can bag one in the 3rd (carpenter) 4th (Jah Reid) round. Stud tackles are coming next year 3 of them in the top ten. You need to get picks for next year. 17/60 will get you to 10 Take Quinn if he falls. I think that Fairley and Bowers could be there too.

Agree with both. While it would be great to have top OLinemen, our scheme does not require them, especially with other high priorities that usually require a first round selection; ie: DE and/or DB.

Just look at the last 3-4 drafts and there are only 2-3 OL’s taken in first round that actually start & play like a first rounder and a lot of them were taken high in round 1: Jason Smith, Okung, Monroe, Britton et al are still learning how to play. We have 1 guy taken in 1st round that is one of top 2 G’s in NFL; however, he and his contract are a huge distraction and he wants out.

Going thru process of elimination I would not be surprised. I think Amukumara is pretty good guess as pick because there is no OLB in first round worth choosing so it gets down to either a DL or CB. At DT/DE position, this is a deep draft for 4-3 teams not 3-4 teams. I think DL’s that are acceptable to them can be selected late first round or later.

I have not been that impressed by Amukumara on the little film I saw but people more familiar with position like him so I defer. I have been thinking teams will pass on him and he will drop to Patriots. That may give the Patriots a tough CB group. They could alternately choose Brandon Harris in as later pick if another team grabs Amukumara.

BB is not moving up for a WR, RB or LB, he and his staff are not that great at picking those guys in almost any round. He is good at picking big, strong DLinmen early or DB’s later in first round. I expect a DE, CB or trade out for more 2nd rounders where he can restock the OLine & RB and take a chance on an OLB/edge rusher.

I’m sorry, if you look at the Patriots defensive depth chart, they clearly have more talent at cornerback than any other. But if Akumara fell to them, i would rather them trade down a couple slots and draft someone else they like at a position of need. With more pressure on the quarterback, I believe their DB’s are good enough. McCourty and Bodden are a solid 1 & 2, and you can draft someone this year in the 2nd or 3rd round and/or get someone in free agency.
They need help in the trenches on both sides of the ball, thats where I want them to go early, they have chosen to go other ways the past couple of drafts and I dont think they can go another draft weekend without seriously beefing up inside.

Same page different chapter. Lets hit on what is strong in this draft, OL and DL. We need both of them. Ty Warren is getting older, and he just signed a huge contract which means in terms of the Pats he will get injured a lot and be essentially useless. Our OL concerns are very imminent as well. Lastly, I like some of the later “project” CB’s later, Gilhcrist and etc. No need to waste a first rounder.

There are too many DL and OL that fit our system, to let them pass by.

I’ve read that there are concerns about Amukamura. Is he really a sure thing? Some even see Jimmy Smith, character issues aside, as the #2 corner in this draft. I like Aaron Williams late 1st/early 2nd as a safety and nickel corner. But I do agree that the Pats will find a way to get Castonzo, who has been compared to Jake Long.

With the potential run of QBs early, what’s the possiblity the Pats move up to 10, the Redskins spot, to grab AJ Green if he falls?

If Green or J Jones falls anywhere near 10, I believe the Pats will make a move. The #17 and #28 are equivalent to the #8 in value so may not even take that much to get to 10-12. However, I don’t think there’s a chance in hell either of them make it out of top 8.

I hope the QB’s gain steam in days leading to draft so someone falls. I’m not sold on JJ Watt myself. I think he’s worth a late first rd pick but certainly not #17.

I would love to push off #17 for a 2nd and ’12 1st and then grab an OT or G/C at #28, #33 should bring a high 2nd this year and a #1 next year. That would give them a 1st and 3 2nd this year and three 1st next year. In 2nd, I think they can find GREAT value at OL, DL, OLB, WR, RB. Value that doesn’t exist in 1st round.

when i first saw that the patriots had a private workout with Prince, my first thought was drafting him as a safety. his physicality and versitility on defence is perfect for BB, i wouldn’t be surprised if we drafted him, i think he could excel in our defence and could be used in a variety of ways. like the 3rd round pick Kenrick Ellis, a lot of upside and great potential steal at that spot. I like anthony Castonzo a patriot like player, not sure about selecting brooks reed that high, because akeem ayers to me will fall out of the first round and would be worth taking over reed, also Sam acho to me is a better fit, but a solid mock draft i really like the Prince pick as a potential safety if not draft Rahim moore in the 2nd round

The pats took a close look at Prince and Tyron Smith and I’m wondering if BB actually thinks there’s a chance that either one of them is going to slip down to pick #17? Since BB always wants to get good value for picks in the draft, what are the odds of him moving up some spots? The answer to both of these questions is slim and not likely. What is more likely to happen is the pats to stay put at #17 and take Watt or Jordan (hopefully 1 of them will be there).

I like the trade scenerio(#28 to #21). Because, I’m confident that trade scenerio irritates the hell out of the Colts and the Jets. If the Colts want Castonzo, they will have to trade up from their first round pick to counter a perceived trade between NE and KC. –which will cost the Colts a draft pick. And if the Jets want Phil Taylor, they will have to trade above the Chiefs at #28. Because the Chiefs are clearly interested in drafting Taylor. And that will cost the Jets a draft pick.

I give the mentioned trade between the Pat’s and Chiefs an A grade. And if the trade is merely a rumor generated by the Pat’s, I give the rumor an A grade.

This draft looks good, especially picking up Ellis that late. The only question is Brooks Reed, don’t see how BB could value him that high in draft. Boling is good pick from our #60 selection on, I can see him as 8-10 year starting grinder for us.

Namndi would cost BB too much money regardless of whether there is a cap or not.

There could be a big run on DE/DT before #17 in which case it could be CB or RB. If I’m not mistaken, Merriweather & McCourtey are the only DB’s ever taken in first round by BB. If Amukamara fell to us, I’m sure BB would not hesitate to take him.

i know…im a negative bastard-i really am. but seriously…the stats dont lie, they had one of the worst pass-defenses in the league last year, theres no excuse for it, they have talent back there-especially with Bodden coming back.

I’m tired of waiting…just give me a god-damn pass-rusher. We have been predicting them to draft first round talent at OLB for a lifetime it seems, but in actuality its been about 4 years in my opinion. The Patriots have had a dwindling pass-rush ever since the 05-06 season, they kept getting older and slower at the position without addressing it. Our man Willie McGinest is more like ancient history rather than recent history.

The verdict will be in on Cunningham this year, who just by starting a couple games last year,looks like he may be the best OLB Bill has drafted. But they need someone more explosive around the edge, they are not getting it with scheme, which is a different topic for another day so they need to get it from 1 on 1 pass-rushing ability. Whether speed around the edge or 1 on 1 moves, it is the teams biggest need in my opinion, without question.

I feel that we should be able to cover and our reasonably set in the back 4or 5. Bodden and McCourty are two solid starting corners, McCourty could be great, and i mite be a fool, but I still have some faith in my man Darius Butler being a decent Nickel back. Ans Kyle Arrington played pretty well after being thrown in the fire due to Butlers ineffectiveness.

Also, there are a lot of corners out there, veterans, rookies, undrafted FA’s. I wouldn’t spend another 1st rnd pick on a corner.
They need a superior talent up front on defense, not a project. At this point, I as a fan would be fine with them taking anyone who Bill Belichick feels can rush the passer…ANYONE that can help there 30th ranked pass defense.

Let’s list a few names: Vernon Gholston, Brandon Graham, Derrick Morgan, Jerry Hughes, Robert Ayers, and Larry English are among the names in the last three drafts that have been projected to be Hybred OLB candidates. They all have been disappointing in their performance. There have been some successes but its a high bust rate for that position if you want a big OLB. Taking talent in the First Round doesn’t ensure success. Other than Akeem Ayers and Justin Houston, none of the projected First Round OLB candidates actually played the position in college. This year there is a deep draft and I’d rater take a couple to complement Cunningham, Moore and Ninkovich. I think TBC gets traded before the season starts.
The Pats have addressed the OLB position by bringing in Adalius Thomas (a highly sought FA at the time) in 2007, brought back TBC in 2009, Drafted Shawn Crable in 2008 (He was a 2nd Team All American with 28.5 TFL as a Senior),
Bottom line is the 3-4 linebacker is a hard position to draft and using a First Round pick comes with risks. Look at the guys they’ve been projected to draft like Sergio Kindle (injured in a nonfootball injury but had medical baggage too) Ricky Sapp (medical issues that put him on IR last year)

High in the draft, you gotta take the player you think is going to be the most productive, even if there is a glut at the position- I think. What if Amukamara can also play (or move another player too) week side safety or in the slot-which wasn’t that productive in 2010 and may be a heavy need in 2011?

It will be interesting if Pouncy, Wilkerson, Amukamara and Kerrigan or even Ingram are all available at #17, which way BB goes (?).

you articulated my position well. for pats, olb’s are conversion projects so risky. lot of people wanted bb to take brandon graham last year. for pats, olb is a second or later round pick. fans need to stop reaching and bite the bullet.

Don’t forget Aaron Maybin! Another 1st round “pass rusher” bust to add to the list.
People look at Matthews and are all butt hurt about it but the reality is that BB passed on all these losers for a reason…how many of them worked out at OLB???
The guy I would’ve liked was Orakpo. He was the OLB we needed.

ya…also from a guy that one Super Bowls with old men like Otis Smith, Terrel Buckley and…..Troy flippin Brown! haha- i agree you cant have too many. But i think you can draft too many in the first round….like when…defensive back is the most talent filled position on your defense, like the Patriots.

I’m fine with-

McCourty
Bodden
Arrington
Butler
and a 3rd round pick this year.

I’m not fine with-

Jermaine Cunningham
Tully BantaCain
And thats it, I think its time to invest into some talent at that position.
Id throw G.Guyton in but hes proven he cant set the edge like a starting 3-4 OLB.